MORE parents in Barnsley have been fined because their children have been truanting than anywhere else in the country.
Barnsley Council dished out 280 penalties for unauthorised absence between January and mid-April this year.
The £50 fine is seen as a punishment for parents whose children persistently bunk off school. But Barnsley is one of just two local authorities which have issued more than 200 fines in the period. The other is Kent which handed out 220.
In Barnsley 32 of the cases ended up with a prosecution because the fine was not paid.
Neighbouring authorities Doncaster handed out 47 fines while Rotherham Council issued just two. But Barnsley Council this week defended its policy, saying it works with parents before issuing fines and the approach has helped reduce truancy levels.
